Page 189 of The Delta's Rogue
His love floods into me through the bond. He murmurs soothing words into my ear as he holds me and sways us side to side, but I’m too much of a blubbering mess to comprehend any of them.
Instead, I focus on our bond. I focus on the crackling passion that ignites between us from touching each other. On his perfect scent as it fills my lungs and warms me from the inside. On how I hear and feel and smell everything around us and between us as he takes my face in his hands and lowers his mouth to mine.
His fingertips dig into my cheekbones, and he kisses me slowly, reverently. It’s a tiny kiss, a sweet kiss, but so much is said with the small, intimate gesture.
Our celebratory kiss is cut short, however, by a gasp of surprise from Haven. Her eyes widen, and her chest heaves. She clutches at her stomach with one hand and the railing of the steps with the other, my blanket forgotten on the ground next to her.
“I’m fine,” she reassures us before we can say anything to her. She glances at her belly as she continues to breathe laboriously. “But my water just broke.”
“Goddess damn it, mybrother is going to kill me,” Sebastian mutters as he glances at the back door, ensuring his back is to Haven and my body is completely covered by his. “Haven, where is Wesley?”
“In bed, I think.” She paces back and forth in front of the stairs, taking deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth.
“He’s definitelynotin bed.” I point over Sebastian’s shoulder at the back door.
“Haven? Are you all right? What happened?”
Wesley barrels out of the house, with Nolan and Cassandra on his heels. His dark brown hair is mussed from sleep—and sex if the giant, still healing hickey on his neck is anything to judge by—and he wears only sweatpants, which I’m pretty sure are backwards.
Wes stops in his tracks when his eyes land on Sebastian and me, and his concerned and confused frown deepens. “Why are you two naked?”
“I woke Sarina’s lycan up with my aura.” Haven continues her pacing and intentional breathing as she talks to Wesley. “Then my water broke. And before you start yelling”—she glares directly at Wesley’s wide-open mouth that is clearly about to start spewing loud and angry words—“I’ve been having contractions since before dinner, so using my aura on Sarina didnotcause me to go into labor.”
Wesley’s mouth snaps shut, and his nostrils flare as he holds back whatever he was about to say. Instead, he strides towards Haven. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“What do you need? What should I do? Do you need to lie down? Do you need to get in the tub? Or would you like to go to Crescent Lake and give birth there?”
“I think Sarina and Sebastian would like to cover up.”
Wesley pauses on the top step, his eyes flicking towards us. “That doesn’t answer any of my questions.”
“I know, but I would prefer everyone be dressed before we dive into the specifics of how I’d like to birth this baby, Wesley, and I’d also prefer it if my mate’s throat wasn’t ripped out by his brother becausehismate was naked in front of everyone for too long!” Haven’s aura pulses out of her, hitting us all with its graceful, delicate power.
Wesley launches himself into action again. He grabs Sebastian’s pants from the top step and my blanket from the ground, and brings both over to where we stand at the edge of the forest.
Sebastian snatches the blanket from Wesley and wraps it around me, glowering at Wesley as he does, as if he’s daring him to even think about looking at me.
“I thought exhibitionism was your thing?” Wesley teases.
Sebastian rolls his eyes, and I have to hide my laugh with the blanket.
“This isnotthe right situation for that,” Sebastian snaps as he grabs his sweats from Wesley.
“Can someone please wake Taryn up?” Haven begs while Sebastian tugs his clothes on and a laughing Wesley jogs back over to her. “I tried mindlinking her but—”
“Reid and Taryn went to Crescent Lake for the night because Savvy hasn’t been sleeping well away from home,” Cassandra tells her.
“And Reid just sent me a text,” Nolan adds, finally moving away from the doorway where he’d been lingering, waving his phone at us. “Taryn’s in labor too.”
For the first time since I joined her outside, Haven displays a flash of uncertainty. Her façade cracks, her lower lip trembles, and her glassy blue eyes lock onto Wesley’s steady brown ones.
“What’s wrong?” he murmurs, taking her face in his hands.
“I want to go home. I thought I could do it here, but if Taryn isn’t able to help, I…” She shakes her head, and a tear falls from her eye as she wraps her hands around his wrists. “Please. I want to have this baby in Crescent Lake. I want our first moments as a family to be in ourhome.”
It only takes Wesley a split second to switch into problem-solving mode. “Can we use your transport stone to get to Crescent Lake?” he asks me.
